Filling-feeder for automatic filling-replenishing looms.



A.E.RHOADES. FILLING FEEDER FOR AUTOMATIC FILLING REPLENISHING LOOMSAPPLICATION FILED MAILZG. 1910.

995,290; Patented June 13, Z 6 0 3E mymum Wm mm WWMHIIUWIWW ALONZO E.RI'IOADES, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COM- PANY, OFHOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FILLING-FEEDER FOR AUTOMATIC FILLING-REPLENISHING LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 26, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Serial No. 551,645.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHoADns, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Filling-Feeders for Automatic Filling-Replenishing Looms, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, likecharacters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to looms of the Northrop type wherein the supplyof filling in the working shuttle is replenished from time to time bythe automatic introduction of a fresh supply of filling to the shuttle,the fresh filling-carriers being held in reserve in a suitable hopper orfeeder. Such a structure is shown in United States Patent No. 529,940granted to Northrop November 27, 1894.

The filling-carrier, which may be either a bobbin or a cop-skewer, is inpractice supported at its butt and tip in the feeder, comprisingessentially two circular disks connected to be rotated in unison andintermittingly, to bring one carrier after another into position to betransferred to the shuttle.

It is customary to provide a spring-acting holder for either the butt orthe tip of the filling-carrier when in the feeder, to not onlyyieldingly retain the carrier in place but also to exert sufficientpressure axially to prevent rotative motion of the carrier while thussupported, and this non-rotation is readily efiected in the case ofbobbins, owing to the relatively large surface presented by the end ofits tip. The frictional engagement of such surface with the tip-holdmgdevice is sufficient to prevent rotation, even if the end of the butt,by reason of wear or otherwise, will not rest squarely against thebutt-holding device. When copskewers are used, however, a differentstate of affairs is met, for the tip of the metal blade of the skewer isso small, and usually pointed, that the friction between it and thetip-holder of the feeder is practically negligible. Consequently a greatdeal of trouble has been experienced in looms of the Northrop type whencops are used, because the cop-skewers rotate axially in the feeder anddisarrange the filling ends. This is particularly true when old skewersare used, having the ends of the butts worn or uneven, so that theycannot bottom firmly on the butt-holder of the feeder.

My present invention has for its object the production of a fillingfeeder particularly adapted for the use of cop-skewers, so constructedand arranged that the copskewer will be firmly and effectively held fromaxial rotation while in the feeder, thereby overcoming the objectionshereinbefore pointed out as found in filling replenishing mechanism nowin use.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described inthe subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in thefollowing claims.

Figure l is a front elevation of fillingreplenishing mechanism of theNorthrop type, the rotatable feeder forming a part thereof embodying oneform of my present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged face view of aportion of the plate or disk constituting the inner end of the feeder,having the seats or pockets for the butts of the fillingcarriers; Figs.3 and at are sections, much enlarged, on the line 34, Fig. 2, showinghow the butt of a cop-skewer is firmly held in the seat, even if the endof the butt be worn or uneven, as shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 1, the stand A having a fixed horizontal stud B, the inner endplate C of the feeder, having a hub D rotatably mounted on the stud Band fixedly connected with the outer end plate E of the feeder, and thefilling-end holder F are in general of well known construction, theplate E being provided with a circularlyarranged series of tip-holders acontrolled by springs Z), said holders receiving and supporting the tipsof the cop-skewer blades 0, said tip-holders being substantially asshown in United States Patent No.

755,252 granted to Stimpson March 22,

1904:. The butts (Z of the cop-skewers are shown as provided withannular projections or rings 0, commonly used in Northrop looms. Usuallythe inner end plate of the rotatable feeder is provided on its innerface with peripheral seats or pockets having fiat backs and parallelside walls which meet the backs at right angles, forming square cornersthereat. If the end of the butt (Z of a cop-skewer is true and fiat, ina plane at right angles to the blade, as in Fig. 3, it will restsquarely and firmly upon the flat back of the seat in thebutt-supporting plate of the feeder, and the annular contact therewithwill exert sufficient friction to prevent gagement of the pointed tip ofthe skewer and the tip-holder a, and as the cop-skewer turns axially thefilling-end leading therefrom will be unduly tightened or slackened. T oprevent this action and provide a firm holding engagement for the buttof a cop skewer in its seat I form the latter in a peculiar manner, asshown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. To this end I make the back 1 of each shallowseat or pocket transversely concave, and continue the curvature at thesides at 2 to merge with the parallel, straight side walls 3, so thatthere are no corners at the junction of the back and the side walls, asclearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Thus the seat gradually increases indepth from its sides to its central portion, but only to a slightdegree.

Referring to Fig. 3 the end of the butt (Z of the cop-skewer is shown astrue, in a plane at right angles to the axis of the skewer, and when thebutt is inserted in the pocket the circular end thereof will bearagainst the back 1 at two diametrically opposite points, as 4, 4, Fig.2, and each contacting portion will be a small segment of the end of thebutt, the dotted circle (I indicating the butt of the cop-skewer. Thecurved surfaces 2 where the back merges into the side walls 3 of theseat act upon the butt to position it equi-distant from each side wall,and as the end of the butt has two opposite portions in contact with theback of the seat axial rotation of the cop-skewer is effectuallyprevented. Now, if the end of the butt Cl is uneven, or worn down, asshown in Fig. 4, when the butt is inserted in the seat the butt will bepushed to one side or the other, by the curved surfaces 2 and 1 untilboth the high and low points of the end cZ of the butt contact, or finda bearing, and as shown in Fig. 4 the high point engages the back 1 atthe left, and the low point is crowded over to the right and engages themerging curve 2, indicated at 5, 5, Fig. 2, the dotted circle (Zindicating the end of the butt. Thus the butt end is in frictionalengagement with the surface of the seat at two separated points, and notonly that but the crowding over the butt presses it firmly against oneof the side walls 3, to further assist in holding the butt from axialrotation. The frictional engagement is maintained by the tipholderspring 6, Fig. 1, acting through the blade 0 of the cop-skewer. Whilethe frictionally engaging portions of the butt with the seat appear tobe of small area, and in actual practice are small in area, the desiredresult is secured, the concave back of the seat and the merger thereofinto the side walls appearing to crowd the end of the butt into a firmand secure holding engagement, preventing axial rotation of thecopskewer. Should the butt having an uneven end be put into the seatwith what may be termed the high point of the end radial to the seat,instead of transversely, (as in F ig; 4) the cop-skewer will turn on itsaxis less than a quarter revolution and will then seat itself and find afirm bearing practically as shown in Fig. 4, after which it can turn nofurther.

While the construction herein described is particularly designed forlooms using copskewers it will be apparent that no trouble will beexperienced in using ordinary bob bins, for the action upon the buttsthereof will be the same as with cop-skewers. .Consequently a feederembodying my invention can be used for holding either form offilling-carrier, while a feeder arranged for bobbins cannot besuccessfully used for copskewers, for the reasons hereinbefore setforth.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A filling feeder for looms, comprisingtwo rigidly connected and rotatable plates, a circularly-arranged seriesof spring-controlled tip-holders mounted on one of the plates, the otherplate having in its inner face a series of shallow peripheral seatsopposite said tip-holders, each seat having a transversely concave backand straight sides merging into the curved surface of the back, toreceive the butts of the filling-carriers, the concave back enabling thebutt of filling-carrier to settle itself thereon and be held from axialrotation while the tip of the carrier is sustained by the tip-holder.

2. A filling feeder for looms, comprising two rigidly connected androtatable plates,

means on one of said plates to support the tips of a series ofcop-skewers, and oppositely arranged shallow peripheral seats in theopposed face of the other plate to recelve and support the butts of thecopskewers, each seat having a transversely In testimony whereof, I havesigned my concave back, and parallel, stralght s1des name to thlsspeclficatlon 1n the presence of gradually merglng 1nt0 the concavesurface tWo subscriblng Witnesses.

of the back, whereby a cop-skewer may turn ALONZO E. RHOADES. partwayabout its axis and its butt find a Vvitnesses:

firm bearing in the seat and be thereby held FRANK J. DUTOHER,

from further axial rotation. J. L. REMINGTON, JR.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

